Groovy Grav

Sonoma County heritage apple unlikely hero of craft cider

Here's a bit of an irony about the heritage Gravenstein apple, darling of Sonoma County's recent craft cider boom: it isn't really a heritage cider apple at all. But a bitter irony, it is not.

"It's shockingly good!" says Chris Condos, cofounder of Horse & Plow, a Sebastopol winery that's also a cidery, of the Grav. What the apple lacks in tannin, which gives traditional European cider a backbone in a blend, it makes up for in acidity and floral aromatics, Condos says.

Horse & Plow Gravenstein Sonoma County Cider ($14) Looking for "funk," a legitimate, and not really negative, cider tasting term? Find it here. Fermented on naturally occurring yeasts, aged in neutral barrels and bottle-conditioned, this is a slightly cloudy, funky or medicinal smelling but also ebulliently floral example of Grav gone wild, the kind of rustic refresher that gets me ready to go out and cut some more hay. But seems like some first-time tasters of craft cider may not appreciate the style. 8 percent abv.

Ace Blackjack Gravenstein Cider ($9.99) The Sebastopol cider pioneer returns to its roots with this special release from local apples. A county fair, caramel apple character comes from aging in Chardonnay barrels. 9 percent abv.

Local cider makers have kicked off the first-ever Sonoma County Cider Week, culminating in the cider-soaked Gravenstein Apple Fair. Cider Week events still to come include a Sonoma Strong collaboration release at Barley & Bine Beer Cafe in Windsor, Wednesday, Aug. 8, 5–8pm; Cider on the Patio at Campo Fina, Healdsburg, 5:30–8:30pm; cider pairing at Spinster Sisters in Santa Rosa, Saturday, Aug. 11, 5–9pm, and more at sonomacountyciderweek.com.